


Training Wheels

by sevenofspade



Category: Young Avengers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-27
Updated: 2014-03-27
Packaged: 2018-01-17 06:19:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1377043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sevenofspade/pseuds/sevenofspade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>America Chavez comes to 616 earlier than expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Training Wheels

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> I hope you enjoy this!

One of the universes is doing an interesting thing. It looks like some sort of time-travel-slash-paradox thing. Look, she's new at this.

America lands in the attic of Avengers Mansion.

She's helpfully informed that it's Avengers Mansion by a voice made thin and reedy by the floorboards.

"I can't believe we're in Avengers Mansion!"

"I can't believe we broke into Avengers Mansion." This voice is deeper.

"I know, right? This is so cool!"

"Well yes, but mostly I meant my mom will kill me if I get arrested for B&E."

"It's not B&E if you're supposed to be there." This voice is new and slightly metallic. "We're the Young Avengers, so it's not B&E for us, but it is for whoever's hiding in the attic."

America decides to come out.

There are three boys: a blond one, one wearing armour and - the Demiurge. Deep breaths, America.

"Hi," she says. Good job, America, good job. He - they must certainly think you're useless now. "I'm America. I'm," she settles on partial honesty, "new to this universe. What's going on?"

The boy in the metal armour's helmet reforms around his head. Half a moment later, it recollapses. "She's telling the truth about not being from this universe. She could be lying about everything else."

"Nate, you sound like Eli, chill," the Demiurge says. "Hi, I'm Billy." He holds out his hand to her.

"You're Asgardian," another voice puts in, "how many times must we go over this?" America giggles. That speaker is wearing blue and sounds grumpy. He must be Eli. "There's a hostage situation in the cathedral, we need to go."

"Can I help?" If people are in trouble, America should help. It's what the Demiurge would do. It's what the Demiurge is doing. 

"If you can keep up," probably-Eli says. He says it like he doesn’t want her to be able to. The Demiurge glares at him and he seems to relent somewhat. "And you find a codename. Unless America is a codename?"

"It's not," America says, "but it could be. Nobody has to know it's my real name."

"Less talking, more people-saving!" The blond guy shifts himself a pair of wings and off they go.

America takes flight behind them.

"Here." Probably-Eli hands her a mask. It looks like one of his. Wings is carrying him, which makes the movement awkward.

She grabs it and puts it on.

"I'm Patriot," he continues, gesturing at each one in turn, "that's Iron Lad, Asgardian and Hulkling."

They reach the cathedral.

They break in through the window. That doesn't strike America as the best of plans, but she's new at this superhero business.

She's pretty sure they're not supposed to set the church on fire, though. She grabs the girl in the purple dress who got trapped by a falling piece of masonry and carries her out.

"I had it," the girl says. She has long dark hair like a waterfall of night.

"Sure, princess," America says, "sure."

The girl is still glaring at her when America sets her down at the hospital.

"Get yourself looked out," America says. Then, just to get a rise out of her, she adds, "Princess."

She goes back to the Mansion and Iron Lad and Patriot are having an argument. She understands about none of it and soon everyone - except Iron Lad - is going their separate ways. America follows him into the Mansion, fully hoping to be able to ask for an explanation.

She doesn't get a chance to before the Avengers show up.

It turns out Iron Lad is Nate is Kang the Conqueror. America falls back into the shadows to listen to the entire, convoluted, explanation.

She's about to make a run for it, having realised what the universe was doing - urgh, temporal paradoxes - when the woman asks, "Are you new? You weren't involved with the Young Avengers before today, what's your story?"

"Yes," America says, "I'm new." She sets her jaw and dares the woman to make something out of it. The woman is eight months pregnant, America doesn't think she'll attack, but if she does, the exit is just one kick away.

The commotion outside draws everyone out of the mansion.

There's a giant girl passed out on the lawn. That, America did not expect. Her, especially, America did not expect.

She's the Girl at the End of the World.

Breathe, America, breathe. It is not her, in the same way that there are rumours of light and whispers of dark in universes far from the epicenter or ripples in the void. And if it is her, then calm your heart, this world is not ending just yet.

No more than any of the others, at least.

The Girl's name is Cassie and she's shrinking down to a more average size. She's also a lot younger than America expected her to be, but that's all on America. She's the _Girl_ at the End of the World, not the Woman at the End of the World.

America lets herself be herded back inside with the others. There's a round of introductions she barely pays enough attention to add her name at the appropriate place. Her real name, not the codename she hasn't come up with yet.

She's distracted enough by the Growing Man gotta-catch-em-all bullshit that she lets herself be locked in with the others.

And then Kang shows up. It's a time-traveller, at least, she can feel it from here.

Yayyyyy.

She has no idea who he is, but presumably he's bad news, because has there been any good news since she's reached this universe? No, there has not.

Hm. Maybe she should leave? There's nothing keeping her here and if she stays, she might betray herself. To who or what she does not know, but it is enough to know that she might.

But first Kang ruins everything, because time travel always ruins everything. She hates it. It just makes such an absolute mess of everything. 

"I'm getting out of here," she says, cutting through the arguing about powers or whatever it is they are talking about. "Any of you who want to come along, feel free to do so."

"Door's open," says the black-haired girl - Kate, she said her name was. "In case that's something you're interested in."

The world shudders on the trail of her words.

"Something's wrong," America says while the light blazes under her skin. "This universe is being altered. Whatever or whoever is doing it needs to be stopped."

"That's all well and good," Patriot says, "but how do you plan on doing that?"

"I'll think of something," America says. "Get your gear. Or other people's gear, whatever you think will help." Kate was not wearing a mask or battle staffs, earlier in the evening. "If there's anything here that can stop a temporal paradox, it would be good to know."

The Girl shakes her head. "Not here, as far as I know. Almost everything was stripped down after -," she swallows hard, "after Wanda."

"Then maybe Iron Lad should go with Kang," America says as they move away from the 'training' room.

"I'm not going!" Iron Lad's voice echoes up and down the corridor. "I don't want to be Kang and I'm not gonna be!"

The Avengers find them easily, given how loud he is.

"I'm not going back," Iron Lad persists. "I won't become Kang. I don't care what the consequences are."

"Some hero you are," America says under her breath. She doesn't think anyone heard her. Louder, she adds, "Then go back and don't become Kang."

"It's not that simple," Kang says and who asked him? "He has to become Kang to resolve this paradox. There has to be a Kang."

"A Kang," the Girl says, "but does that mean it has to be Nate?"

Kate nods. "Can't you just clone yourself or something? Then raise yourself so you can be your own perfect heir?"

"That's not how it works," Kang says. "Do you have any idea of the stress something like could inflict on the timeline?"

"So?" That's the pregnant woman, now un-pregnant and in a white outfit. "Aren't you all about timeline stress?"

Captain America nods. "You're constantly trying to change history. What's one more change?"

Of course the point is rendered moot soon after, when Kang proves he can control Iron Lad's armour telepathically and use that to drag him along to the future.

"Fuck that," the Girl says. "Kate, how accurate with that bow are you?"

Kate strings her bow. "Accurate enough."

She shoots and shuts down the portal to the future. America feels like clapping, so she does. 

"Good shot," she says, voice full of sarcasm, when people turn to look at her. "But I don't see how that's going to stop Kang here from going back to his time."

"Billy," Iron Lad says, "do your thing."

"My thing?" The Demiurge's voice is squeaky. It makes him sound oddly human, like he's a real teenaged boy instead of a god clothed in flesh. "My thing doesn't cover timeshifts! My thing just blows shit up."

Hulking takes the Demiurge - no, Billy, with a look like that, he can only be seeing Billy, the boy he's in love with - takes Billy's hand and says, "I believe in you."

"IwantKangtoleaveusaloneIwantKangtoleaveusalone," the Demiurge chants, before changing his mind. "IwantKangtoleaveusaloneandtheparadoxtoberesolved."

Orange skies fade into blue and the skyline restores itself.

"Well," Kang says, "this is unexpected, but I don't think there's anything left keeping me here." He snaps his fingers and a new portal appears.

Nate nods. "It's better if we leave them alone."

They step through the portal together.

"I fucked up," Billy says. "I fucked up so bad."

"It was the wording," Jessica tells him. "You did exactly what you said you'd do, you just didn't do it in the way you wanted to."

"Training wheels, son," Captain America says. 

"You'll get the hang of it," America says, because it's messing with her head to have the Demiurge be so human and vulnerable.

"Nice of you to think so," the Demiurge says.

"I know so," she tells him and reaches out tentatively to touch Billy on the shoulder. Lightning doesn't come out of the sky to smite her.

He lays a hand on hers. "Thanks, but I don't see how that's going to bring Nate back."

America's gaze is drawn to Cassie, soon to be the Girl at the End of the World, but she doesn't say anything. She isn't - not yet - and may never be, at least not this version of her. There are a million billion worlds out there and more now that America's interfering.

And even if she is, there are worse things to be than the Girl at the End of the World.


End file.
